Design of a Material Handling Equipment: Belt Conveyor System for Crushed Limestone Using 3 roll Idlers

  In the process or manufacturing industry, raw materials and products need to be transported from one manufacturing stage to another. Material handling equipment are designed such that they facilitate easy, cheap, fast and safe loading and unloading with least human interference. For instance, belt conveyor system can be employed for easy handling of materials beyond human capacity in terms of weight and height. This paper discusses the design calculations and considerations of belt conveyor system for limestone using 3 rolls idlers, in terms of size, length, capacity and speed, roller diameter, power and tension, idler spacing, type of drive unit, diameter, location and arrangement of pulley, angle and axis of rotation, control mode, intended application, product to be handled as well as its maximum loading capacity in order ensure fast, continuous and efficient movement of crushed limestone  while avoiding halt or fatalities during loading and unloading.  The successful completion of this research work has generated design data for industrial uses in the development of an automated belt conveyor system which is fast, safe and efficient.